In Sickness and in Health, Please Love me Daddy (The Vow Series)
by Jewell Trim
Summary: Orphans come into town on a stagecoach on their way to find families. Will they find their family in the most unlikely place among a group of men?
1. Please, be mine

The man in black sat in the corner with his bottle of Red Eye and a shot glass for company. All around him was general chatter and music streaming from the off tune piano. He could hear his associate up at the bar laughing with some woman. The man could literally talk his way into any woman's bed.

Outside, Chris could hear the sounds of men yelling and shots going off. Taking one last drink from his shot glass, he signaled to Buck that they were going to check it out. The last thing they need was for someone to be going after them while they had their guard down.

The two walked out the batwing doors. The taller of the two going out, sauntering out with one hand in the front of his pants a little. The second followed behind slower, his spurs jingling as his footsteps fell. The two looked around and saw a group of rough looking men pushing around a black boy who looked frightened at being surrounded by big angry white men.

"Looks like ugly is starting early this morning." Chris murmured.

"And I do hate ugly." Buck nodded.

The two descended the boardwalk and walked towards the group.

Chris also saw a large man make his way to the group with determined steps. He would have to keep an eye on him.

As they reached the crowd, some people who were just spectating stepped aside to let them through.

Buck frowned as he saw one of the men kicked the little boy hard in the ribs.

"That's enough." Came Chris's cool voice, gaining everyone's attention.

The man who had just kicked the boy turned around and wiped his face with his sleeve before spitting on the ground beside him.

"And who are you?" the man snarled.

"Someone who don't take kindly to people who prey upon children." Buck said, resting a hand on his gun.

"That boy thinks he can go around here demanding equal treatment like us white folks."

"Slavery is over. He's allowed to do as he pleases." Chris said, remaining calm, though he was ready to kill the sons of bitches.

The man took a step towards Chris. "I don't think the two of you can take all of us." He man said, gesturing to the five men behind him.

"Even God worked in threes, my friend." Said the big man that Chris had spotted earlier. He stood over the boy in a protective stance.

The man whirled around and saw the new threat.

"Hey, isn't that guy in black Chris Larabee?" hissed one of the men.

"No shit. It is him. I ain't about to die today over some darkie kid."

The men began abandoning their friend until it was just him surrounded by the gunslinger and his two friends.

"You all can go to hell." The man snarled before quickly getting out of there himself, but had to push his way through the crowd, trying to keep up the 'tough guy' act.

The big man bent down to the boy who was holding his side in obvious pain.

"Let me help you there, son." The big man said gently.

"I don't have nothing to give you in return, mister." The boy said, not even the least bit scared.

"Well that's alright. Helping someone in need shouldn't come with payment."

Josiah helped the boy up, he turned to Chris and Buck.

"I'll take care of him."

Chris nodded to him, "Alright, but we got to head out before it gets too late."

"Thank you misters for helping me out. I know you didn't have to."

"Ain't nothing, son." Josiah smiled down at the boy.

"What's your name?" Buck asked.

Nathan Jackson." The boy said stiffly.

"Names Chris. These are my friends, Buck Wilmington and Josiah Sanchez." Chris bent down to look Nathan in the eye, "You were brave for what you did. Only cowards gang up against one person, and even greater cowards gang up on a child."

Nathan stood a little taller at the praise. Josiah took him to the church where he said he would look after the boy. The big man always seemed to gravitate towards the place.

Chris and Buck looked at each other before going back into the saloon. Knowing there was no cause to fear someone was out for one of them, made them relax.

Just as they walked into the saloon, a call came out that the stage coach was pulling in. The driver pulled the horses to a stop and then proceeded to drop off bags for those who were staying in town. They would need a fresh pair of horses before heading back out in an hour.

The door along the side of the vehicle opened and a woman stepped out. She surveyed the area with skepticism before turning back to the door where four heads peeked out.

"All right now, you can come on out." She said.

The three boys climbed down the step and stood in wonder at the town they were in. The lady brought their attention back to herself as the girls stepped out of the coach.

"Now we're going to be heading out in an hour. I'm allowing you all to stretch your legs, but I want you all back here by the time the coach driver calls, you hear?"

All five heads nodded, but didn't appear all that serious to keeping to that promise.

The lady herself went to go and get something from the municipal store, leaving the children to entertain themselves. After riding ten miles already with no break, she needed time to herself.

The boys went their separate ways and before long the girls too had disappeared.

The first boy, dressed in fine clothes walked intently to the saloon. He was still short enough that he could slip under the batwings.

Looking around, it was dingy and dim, but he could see a few men playing a card game at a table. He smiled and continued to look around the room. It was better to know your surroundings. At a table sat a lone man in black. From the gun belt on his hip, the man knew how to shoot.

Turning back to the poker table where the game was just ending, he decided to assert himself.

"'cuse me gentlemen, but do you mind if I play a hand with you all. I've been practicing and I know the rules."

The men all looked at him as if he was serious. One of them finally caved, "Alright boy, do you want to play for sweets or something?"

"No, I can play for money. Will nickles suffice?"

"Man I ain't taking some kids money." Huffed one of the men.

"It's quite alright. The experience will be more than enough payment if I lose." The boy smiled innocently.

"Did you hear that boys? He said 'if'. Alright kid, take a seat."

The boy took a seat in an empty chair at the table and waited to be dealt his cards.

The first round he lost, but that was just for show. He didn't want them to suspect him or anything.

"Another round?" he asked.

The men didn't seem willing, but they did.

That time he won, and won the following one.

After his third round, one of the men started getting frustrated.

"What you playing at kid?"

"I don't think I understand what you're implying at sir." He frowned.

"You cheating?"

"I assure you I have not cheated at any point in our games."

"Kid, it ain't good to start cheating even if you're young. No one likes a cheater." Said the man who had invited him to the table.

"I assure that I don't need to cheat."

The man who was getting frustrated got up from his seat and pulled the boy from his chair by the arm. "Imma bout to teach you what we do to liars and cheaters, boy."

A clicking of a hammer made Ezra look behind him. The man in black was pointing his gun at the man holding him.

"Put the boy down."

The man roughly pushed the boy back in his seat.

The man in black got up from his table, his gun still trained on the man, "Now walk away."

The man grumbled a bit, but left the building. Chris turned to the rest of the people at the table, "Who won this round?" the nicer guy pointed to Ezra, "Get your money son."

Ezra picked up the coins and put them in his pocket. Chris gestured for him to get up and he did, albeit reluctantly. He still wanted to play a few more rounds.

Chris led him back outside the saloon and then turned him around to face him.

"I thank you sir for intervening. However, I was not in the wrong. I had no reason to cheat. I've been practicing cards since I was four."

"Well that don't change the fact that you could've gotten hurt by playing with those men. Some of them can be sore losers. Now how about you go find your parents, son."

Ezra maintained a stoic face and walked back down the board walk. He blinked back frustrated tears thinking about the fact that his mother was in Yuma prison and he had no father that he knew of.

He shivered at the thought of that man who had grabbed him. It always scared him when some grown man grabbed him. Some of his step-fathers were abusive and he always shied away from physical contact if he could help it.

The man in black never touched him, his hand only hovering over his shoulder or back. It was like the man wanted to try and offer a physical comfort, but stopped himself just before doing it.

Ezra wondered what that was about. He was distracted from his thoughts by the appearance of the woman he and his companions were traveling with. Not wanting to be seen, he quickly ran off to hide somewhere safe.

Another person who was running away from someone was a scrawny boy in too big of clothes. He was running from a man who had chased him from the restaurant. The boy held in his arms a loaf of bread. He was so absorbed in running away from the man that he didn't see the oncoming horses coming towards him.

"Hey get out of the way!" yelled the man on the horse.

The boy was caught off guard and froze in shock. His legs wouldn't move anymore, and the horses were almost on top of him. Closing his eyes, he tried to block it with his hands up to prevent the hooves from hitting him in the face.

Quick footsteps were heard and the boy felt himself being pushed out the way. Uncurling, he saw a man in black looking down at him with concerned eyes.

"You alright son?" the man asked him. Vin clutched the loaf tightly but he could feel himself still shaking. The man picked the boy up and pulled him close.

"That little runt stole from me." Growled the man who had been chasing the boy.

"He almost got himself killed and you're busy worrying about a piece of bread." Chris growled. He dug into his pocket and produced a coin to pay for the stolen property. "Take your money and leave the boy alone."

The man huffed, but took the coin and walked away.

Chris maneuvered the boy towards the board walked and sat at the edge. The boy stood between his legs, looking at his feet.

"You going to be alright by yourself son?"

Vin looked up at the man before nodding. He offered the loaf to Chris.

"Here. You paid for it." The boy mumbled under his breath.

Chris took the bread, he knew in order for the boy to take it, he would have to feel like he didn't owe Chris. It made him wonder why he was any different from the man he stole it from.

"How about this. You can get this back if you do me a favor." Chris said and smiled a little.

Vin frowned in confusion, "Like what?"

"I have a friend who decided to take a nap a little while ago but I need to start heading out. Can you knock on his door really hard and really loud for three minutes?"

Vin thought about it for a moment before nodded. It sounded simple enough.

The man in black told Vin where he could find his friend and Vin headed over to the boarding house. He found the exact door and took a deep breath before banging on it loudly. He actually started to enjoy it.

At first he was worried it wasn't working since no one came to the door, but after his three minutes were up, he ran back to the man in black.

Beside the man was a disgruntled taller guy. He looked a little frazzled and his clothes were not all the way on.

"Thank you." Chris said as he handed over the bread.

"Wait, this little guy is the reason I'm not spending any time with Charlotte?" Buck groaned.

"You'll survive. I want to start heading out soon. Josiah is going to stay here a little longer before joining us. Wants to make sure Nathan is going to be alright."

Buck nodded and went to go get his horse.

Chris would go get his horse after dealing with the boy.

When they were alone again, Chris turned his attention back to the boy who was beginning to nibble on the bread. "So what's your name, son?"

"Vin Tanner."

"Well my name is Chris Larabee. Where are your parents, Vin?"

Vin dipped his head. "Don't have any. I'm on a wagon coach on my way to find a new family. No one wants to adopt us though. Me and my friends."

"I'm sure you'll find your family in no time."

Vin nodded though he doubted it. The man named Chris was pretty nice and even saved him. He thought the man was amazing.

Buck walked quickly to the livery. He was thinking about the time he got to spend with Charlotte even if it had been twenty minutes.

As he made his way to where his horse's pen, he heard a small voice. Getting closer, he saw a little boy climbing up the gate to hand the horse some hay.

The chubby little hand was practically in the horse's mouth and Buck had to push the horses head back.

"Whoa there, little feller, you almost got your hand chomped off by Daisy." He picked the boy up and set him down on the ground.

"Your horse sure is pretty mister." The boy said with a big smile.

"Why thank you. She loves getting compliments as well as food, but you shouldn't try to feed her without someone watching you. You're so little she might mistake you as food."

The little boy giggled.

"Can I ride her?"

Buck thought about it before nodding.

He saddled his horse and then lifted the boy up on the saddle. He led his horse out of the livery with the little boy grinning wildly.

Buck led the horse over to where Chris was sitting on the edge of the boardwalk. Vin was still sitting beside him eating his bread.

"Vin look! I'm riding a horse!" the little boy called out enthusiastically.

Vin's eyes shot up and his jaw slacked with food still in his mouth.

"Not fair."

The boy named Ezra reappeared at the sound of the little boy's voice.

"How is it JD that you always seem to find a way to ride a horse whenever you get the chance." Ezra said with a smirk. He was a little jealous of the boy's ability with horses.

"You boys know each other?" Buck asked.

"We're all heading to find families." Ezra answered the question so the others wouldn't have to. None of them were too keen on their futures.

"There you all are." Came the annoying voice of the woman in charge of watching the boys. It's bad enough I can't find the girls, but here you all are messing with these men. JD let that man have his horse back. We're leaving in ten minutes."

All three boys looked glum and kept to their places. The woman didn't seem to care that much because she still had to find the two missing girls. It was fine since all the boys were together.

"Nice talking with you boys." Buck grinned.

"Stay out of trouble now." Chris said.

He went and got his black stallion which the boys were all allowed to pet before the two men got in the saddle and started out of town.

 **A/N: While I have quite a bit of this written I will take my time posting chapters so I have a sort of buffer in between. Hope you like it. Happy New Year!**


	2. To Have

"This bites." Vin grumbled.

"To what are you referring to?" Ezra mumbled as he dusted himself off.

"For once I'd like to be able to do whatever I want like them." Vin gestured to the two men riding away from them.

"Are you talking about their freedom or that you want to be with them? I doubt the woman in charge of watching us would approve of having two gunslingers as parental figures."

"I doubt she'd be able to fight them on it if we can persuade them to adopt us."

"Why would they want to adopt us though?"

"The one let JD ride his horse with no problem and didn't get angry when he found out I was the one who woke him up. Chris saved my life and defended me from the man who probably would've beat me."

"I confess that mister Larabee did save me earlier in the saloon from some man who was a sore loser."

"I'd like Buck for a Pa!" JD added.

"So should we go after them?" Vin asked.

"We have one thing to do before we do go out for our petition." Ezra said as he looked to the stage coach.

After struggling a bit, the boys took their small luggage off the stage coach and hid it in the livery. They then took a horse, using Vin's makeshift reins to help lead the horse out the livery with the three of them riding on it. They snuck out of town and started in the direction the two men had went in.

Vin sat down crouched as he watched the blonde man watering the horses. He was grateful that he was good at tracking and

that the men left an obvious trail, not even caring who may be following them. Or maybe the man Josiah was supposed to follow their trail. Or maybe they were just too good at killing that they weren't afraid of nobody. All of this was going through his head when he heard Ezra join him, but didn't kneel to the ground.

"So that's Larabee. Where's the other one?"

"Why don't you turn around and ask." Buck said, making both boys jump in surprise. Buck was holding the reins to the horse JD was still on. "If you boys are looking to stay hid, next time you may want to think on not being so loud when following us."

The little group was led down to where Chris was tying the horses up to a tree. He saw Buck and the boys and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Found them following us. Not very good at stealth." Buck grinned.

"What are you boys doing out here?" Chris asked.

The three became very interested in the ground and Chris had to bend down to get their attention. "I'm waiting."

"We came out here following you because we don't want to go on that coach that's heading out." Ezra murmured.

"Aren't you all supposed to be heading out to go find families? Why run away?" Buck asked in confusion.

"Because we already know that no one will want us. We don't want to be in some orphanage." Vin said stiffly.

"So what do you want then?" Chris asked.

"To be with you."

Both men looked at each other and Vin pressed on, "We promise we won't cause you too much trouble, and we're used to living on the road. We also can work, and—"

"No." Chris cut him off. He got back to his feet and walked away from the disappointed faces.

"Please." JD begged.

Buck sighed and went to talk to his friend.

"I know what you're thinking Buck and it's a no."

"Oh come on. Just because of what happened three years ago doesn't mean it will repeat itself. I miss Sarah and Adam too. Always will, but these boys right here, they need a home and have no one else to turn to."

"How do you know that? They could be lying just to get what they want."

"They'd lie about being children no one wants? You found Ezra playing poker and Vin stealing bread. JD was off unsupervised about to be Daisy's lunch. Not to mention I think they stole that horse. I'm pretty sure any parent would have their hands full dealing with one of them."

"Yet you suggest we take them all? Have you finally lost it? Ella is still out there."

"Yes, and until we hear news of her, that doesn't mean we should stop living our lives. They respect you Chris and will listen to you. Just think on it before you say no."

Chris looked back at the boys who were doing their best not to make it look obvious that they were trying to listen in on the conversation.

"Fine, but we're taking them back to town. Hopefully the woman in charge of them hasn't left without them yet." Chris turned to the boys, "We're taking you back to town, see if you're group hasn't left yet."

"And if they have?" asked Ezra.

"Then we'll think of something."

Chris grabbed his and Buck's horse before giving Vin a lift into his saddle. Buck did the same with JD. Chris hesitated with Ezra who looked at the horse.

"Do you want help?" he asked eventually.

Ezra debated in his head before nodding. Chris helped him on the horse's back and held onto the reins. Once the two men were sitting behind the boys in their saddles did they finally set off again.

No one really spoke but JD and Buck who was mostly answering the little boy's questions.

"So how old are all of you?" Buck asked eventually. Chris hated that his friend was trying to form a relationship.

"Five!" JD said proudly.

"Seven." Vin said and was followed by Ezra who said "Nine."

"Five, seven and nine. You all are pretty young still." Buck said, remembering Adam who would be around Ezra's age now.

"But we know how to be useful. Ezra knows how to play poker and win money. Vin is good at stealing. I haven't been allowed to do either because they say I'm too young."

"I think that you all are too young to be doing all of those things. Vin, it's not good to steal. Asking is better." Buck said.

"No one will listen to me. They call me some homeless kid and then called the orphanage people. That's how I winded up here."

They made it back in town and to the boy's dismay, the woman who was supposed to be escorting them was still there and looking red in the face.

"You boys are in big trouble."

"Ma'am, there's no need to be upset with the boys. They just wanted to go out for a ride." Buck tried to calm her down.

"They stole a horse!"

Chris got off is horse and tossed both his and Ezra's reins to Buck. He stepped closer to the woman.

"Seeing how it was your job to watch them, I don't see how this is anyone's fault but your own."

"Excuse me?"

"These boys have made it clear that they don't want to be assisted by the orphanage to find them families. So I think your work here is done and you can go home now. I think we can do a better job at that then you."

"My job is to make sure they make it in good family homes. Not living on the trail with two gunslingers."

"You want to challenge me?" Chris said in a low voice.

The woman huffed, "Those troublemakers aren't even worth it. You'll be regretting taking them in soon enough." She walked away, heading to the boarding house where she probably had to check into because all her wards had disappeared or found homes for themselves.

"So you're really going to adopt us?" Vin asked excitedly from the saddle.

Chris threw him a glare, but the grin didn't waver. Sighing, Chris helped the boy down and then Ezra. Buck got down from his horse and carried JD in his arms.

"Should I go tell Josiah of our change in plans?" Buck asked.

"Sure. We'll just head out tomorrow then."

Buck nodded and began walking to the church, still carrying the boy.

Vin and Ezra looked expectantly up at Chris.

Without saying anything, Chris took the stolen horse back to the livery where the man who owned it was a little annoyed but accepted the horse back, seeing how it wasn't injured.

"You can stay in here for the night. We'll grab something to eat before we head out in the morning." Chris said as he let the two boys walk into the room first. They set their bags down and looked around the room. The bed was big enough for all three of them to fit comfortably.

"Where are we headed tomorrow?" Vin asked curiously.

"Out. Now come on." Chris ordered.

The two filed out of the room and down the steps to where a little restaurant was serving dinner. Josiah and Buck were already there with Nathan and JD.

Chris sat down and Vin scrambled into the seat to his left while Ezra silently took the one on the right.

Nathan was introduced to everyone along with Josiah, and Chris started going over tomorrow's plan.

"I'm going to ride on to look for a doctor for Nathan, he's bruised pretty badly and will probably be hard for him to sleep on." Josiah said.

Chris nodded.

"What happened to your side?" JD asked Nathan.

"Some bad people were kicking him." Buck answered the question.

"Why?"

"Because there are just bad people out there in the world who do mean things. They don't know why they do it half the time."

"So are we going to stay with you?" Vin asked the question he had hoped to bring up again.

Chris moved his food around on his plate for a while before giving an affirmative.

Vin and JD cheered loudly while Ezra just gave a little smile, though he was relieved.

"Buck can be in charge of JD and Vin—"

"I want to be with you." Vin whined.

"Okay, JD and Ez—" Chris looked at the down-casted face.

"How about Chris has Vin and Ezra and I'll take care of JD. Josiah can manage Nathan I'm sure." Buck smiled.

Everyone but Chris seemed satisfied with this arrangement.

The blonde watched around the table as Vin shoveled his food into his mouth. Ezra picked at his. JD played around with his before giving half to Vin. Nathan was the only one who seemed to have manners.

At night, all four boys were squeezed into the one bed while the adults got their own room.

 **A/N: Another chapter where the boy's take the initiative in finding a family for themselves.**


	3. And to Hold

Early in the morning, Chris rented a horse for Ezra and Nathan to ride on while Vin rode with him and JD with Buck.

Josiah was to travel part of the way with them until Chris's house. There he would go with Nathan into the nearest town.

"So where are we going?" JD yawned for the four time.

"Where we're headed." Buck answered jokingly.

"But where's where we're headed?"

"Where we're going."

"JD, he ain't gonna answer you." Vin said before JD could ask again.

"We're headed to my place about a half of a day's ride from here." Chris answered.

Once they got to Chris's place it was late in the day. Chris and Buck dismounted and helped their charges down of the horses while Josiah told them he'd be back the next day.

"If everything goes well we should be back in the afternoon." Josiah said. "The doc might want to have him stay in town to check on his wounds though."

"That's fine. We probably will have to go in town to restock everything since there are more mouths to feed." Chris said.

Buck readjusted the weight of JD onto his other hip, "I can do that tomorrow if you want if you can watch the kiddies."

Chris thought about it. There would only be three of them and they'd probably still be asleep until Buck got back.

"Alright, you go into town in the morning and Josiah can tell you whether or not he's going to have to stay in town longer."

Both men nodded and Josiah turned his horse towards town with Nathan riding in front of him.

Chris had each of his two boy's on a hip as the two gunslingers made their way to the house. Buck opened the door with his free hand and they decided it was alright to deposit their weight in Josiah's made bed.

Vin protested at being let go. His little arms tightening more around Chris's neck. Chris unwrapped himself from the boy and set him down next to Ezra and JD who were also still asleep.

"So baths after we start dinner?" Buck suggested.

"Yeah, can you start fixing something up? I'll start pumping the water for the baths." Chris groaned as he set himself up with a bucket after taking off his duster coat and rolling up his sleeves. He took the time to wash his face and hands before beginning the chore.

Buck washed up too before pulling out food to start to cook.

Chris pulled out the brass bath tub, filling it slowly with hot water. He found soap in a basket and fresh towels.

Stretching his aching muscles, Chris stood up from his task and looked over to Buck who was whistling to himself while cooking beans in a pot with some meat going in the oven.

"I'll start with Vin and Ezra. You can take over for JD since he may ask for you anyway." Chris said as he walked into the back where the private sleeping areas were. He didn't wait for Buck's reply.

Chris's place wasn't all that big, it had three rooms for each of the men, a front room that was connected to the kitchen and a small room that connected to the outhouse so they wouldn't have to go that far. It was still in the process of adding more rooms to the house. Now they'd have to fix up a place for the boys to sleep. The sleeping arrangements now could only last for as long as the men could take turns sleeping on the floor.

When he went into the room, he found Vin spread out with part of his small body on top of JD. Ezra was curled up near the edge of the bed. He looked like he was having a bad dream.

Chris decided to wake him and start with Vin.

Carefully untangling the seven-year-old, Chris carried him in his arms and back out the room. Vin stirred a little, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Is it time to wake up?" he yawned.

"We'll eat after you three have taken a bath. Sound good?"

Vin nodded, still tired. Once he was set down, he pulled off his shirt. His torso was slender and his bones showed though his little belly stuck out. Vin hesitated on his shorts, biting his bottom lip.

"It's going to be okay. You're safe." Chris reassured.

Vin nodded and let his shorts slip and he chucked off his shoes.

Chris picked the boy up gently and settled him in the tub.

"Is it too hot?" he asked.

"No."

Chris knelt down next to the brass tub and began cleaning the little boy. Vin played with the bubbles while Chris cleaned his hair. The bath lasted for about ten minutes before Vin was picked up and wrapped up in a towel to be dried off.

"Feeling better?" Chris asked.

"Yes! Thank you, pa." Vin said with a huge grin as he padded around barefoot.

Chris would have to get him a pair of clothes to put on. Sighing and getting to his feet again, he went to get Ezra.

JD had taken over the part of the bed that Vin had occupied. Ezra was still in his ball form with a pinched face.

Chris debated whether or not to touch him to wake him up. Instead he crouched near Ezra's head.

"Ezra, can you wake up for me? We're going to get you cleaned up, okay."

Ezra's eyes flew open and he looked around panicky.

"It's okay Ezra. You're safe. Nothing's going to harm you."

Ezra's eyes locked onto Chris's, "My step-father?"

"He isn't here. You won't have to see him again." Chris reassured.

Ezra clenched his fist and looked ready to cry, but held back his tears.

Chris stretched out his arms and Ezra crawled into his embrace.

He felt safe there, listening to the man's steady heartbeat.

"Let's get you cleaned up." Chris said as he carried Ezra outside and to the awaiting tub.

He refreshed the water, making sure it was hot before turning to the boy.

"You're okay taking off your own clothes and getting in?"

Ezra gave a tiny nod, but didn't move to take off his clothes. His were a lot nicer than Vin's and fit him better. Chris figured he came from a wealthy family.

When Ezra took off his shirt, Chris had to concentrate on not focusing on the bruises on Ezra's back and chest. Chris felt himself getting angry at the people who had done this to the boy. However, it would not do to have Ezra think he was mad at him.

"Why don't you go ahead and get in while I get more soap." Chris said and turned around to let the boy have some privacy.

Ezra quickly undressed and stepped into the tub. It was warm and felt good against his bruises. He wished he could stay in here forever. When the man came back with the soap Ezra became tense. He tried to tell himself that he was fine. That he wasn't in danger of getting hurt by Mr. Larabee, but the feeling just wouldn't go away.

"Do you want to clean yourself, or do you want help?"

Ezra thought about, "Could I have assistance cleaning my hair and back?"

"Sure thing." Chris said as he settled into the task.

Ezra didn't move except to allow Chris access to his back. Though the intake of breath signaled to Chris that Ezra was not completely feeling safe, the boy didn't tell him to stop.

Once Chris got to cleaning his back, Ezra began to relax a little more. He probably didn't mean to let out a little hum when Chris massaged his scalp in a spot that really felt good.

"You alright?"

"Yes sir." Ezra crooned.

"Not sir. Chris."

"Yes Chris sir."

Chris sighed, he wouldn't worry about it now. Vin called him 'pa' and Ezra called him 'sir'. Both made him a little uncomfortable, but he figured it wasn't a big issue at the moment.

He held up a towel for Ezra and the boy stepped out of the tub. Chris wrapped him up tight before turning to look for Vin. He hadn't seen the boy since he went to go get Ezra.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw Buck with Vin sitting at the table. His little legs peeking from the towel kicked wildly under the table.

"I'm finished with Ezra if you want to get the last one. I can take over here." Chris murmured.

"Okay. Careful, that one is pretty good at begging for food." Buck said jokingly.

Chris looked at Vin who dipped his head now. His legs stopped moving too.

"The food will be ready soon enough Vin. Hold out for a little longer." Chris said as he ruffled the boy's hair as he walked passed him.

"I weren't really begg'n. He asked me if I wanted to be the taste-tester. I just said it wasn't sweet enough and after the third taste he said I was just doing it to eat more." Vin defended himself.

"Sweet?" Chris turned to see what Buck was making.

Apparently he was cooking up some sweet potatoes with beans and pork. Chris would have to have a word with his friend and his choice in meals. All the boys looked underfed, especially Vin. Moving to his bag, he found the wrapped thing of bread he had gotten from the last town he was in. He began heating it up while keeping one ear listening out for the boys who were behind him.

"You okay, Ez?"

"Yeah, just tired."

"Weren't the hot bath nice? I don't remember the last time we were allowed to take a bath in actual hot water. I think I could get used to taking baths more often like you."

Ezra let out a little mumble before pulling his towel tighter around him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Vin asked again.

"I'd feel a little better with some clothes on." Ezra confessed. "Unfortunately I don't think I have anything clean to wear."

"What's wrong with throwing on something you already wore?"

Ezra wrinkled his nose in disgust, "What would be the point in taking a bath if you put on dirty clothes?"

"Then what's wrong with staying in the towel longer. It's kind of fun."

Ezra shifted in his spot and watched as Buck came in with JD who excitedly took off the clothes he had on and got in the tub. Buck pretended that there was a sea monster in the water, and from the sounds of JD's squeals and laughter, he was enjoying it. Ezra wished he could have a tenth of JD's innocence and happiness. It wouldn't have been hard for the boy to find a good family. He however decided to stick with the big man with the funny mustache. The pair seemed perfect. Buck did seem like he'd be a good father. It also seemed like he was used to playing with children.

Ezra turned to look back at the blonde who was trying to fix the food his friend had nearly ruined. The man seemed experience with everything. He didn't lose his temper with any of them yet and was surprisingly gentle though he could be deadly. His touch was loving and his silent disposition was a good comfort and centering piece. Maybe things wouldn't be too bad living here with them, though it was still too early to trust them fully. Vin was relaxing quickly around Chris and the boy had good instinct. So maybe he could try a little harder to trust him.

Walking silently up to Chris's side, he waited until the man noticed him. His step-fathers never wanted him to talk without being spoken to, so he kept his mouth shut.

Chris started a little when he noticed the little figure under him.

"Ezra!" Chris said calming himself down, "It's not safe to stand too close to the stove. Please wait over by the table and I'll be there in a minute."

Ezra flinched when the man said his name, he thought he'd get hit and his hands went to defend his face. The towel around him fell. When no hand came down on him, but words of warning for his safety, he felt confused.

Picking up his towel, face flushed for dropping it, he padded over to the table.

Chris finished up taking the bread from the stove and turned to see Ezra standing in front of the table with his head down looking at where his feet would be if it wasn't for the towel.

Kneeling down in front of the boy, Chris almost had to pry the towel out of Ezra's hands before he could readjust the towel and wrap him up better so he could walk easier.

"Did you need something Ezra?"

Ezra kept his head down, but lifted his head when it was clear Chris wasn't about to yell at him.

"Clothes." He mumbled. The rest of the words got stuck in his throat.

"Okay, we can go and get some clothes for you to put on." Chris said and guided, hand hover over the boy's back, to the room where the children had been sleeping in.

Chris watched as Ezra climbed into the bed to sit down while looking through his little suitcase of his few belongings for something to wear. When it was clear the boy couldn't find anything, Chris left the room and returned with one of his clean shirts. It was one of his white ones that he hardly wore. He slipped it over Ezra's head and rolled the sleeves so that it was bunched up halfway up the boy's arm.

"There, is that okay?" he asked when he stepped back.

Ezra looked like he was wearing a dress or a night gown but the boy nodded.

"Thank you… Chris."

"You're welcome." Chris said with a little smile before ushering Ezra back to where the rest were at. He brought a dark blue shirt out and put it on Vin before going back to watching the food. Ezra was surprised JD was still in the tub. Buck and him seemed to be having fun playing with JD's long hair. Right now it was pulled to a soapy point before being changed to a Mohawk like some Indian.

The dinner was finally ready and the boys sat down at the table while Buck and Chris served up the dishes. Chris made sure that each of the boys had extra helpings, especially Vin. When Chris was seated between Vin and Ezra, he noticed the odd behaviors they each exhibited.

Vin, with just his hands, shoveled the food from his plate into his mouth. His face was messy and some of his hair was getting into his food. Chris used a piece string to tie his hair back so it wouldn't get any messier. It looked like a little ponytail.

JD played with his food, partially eating it before offering up the rest to Vin. His hands, like Vin's were messy from the food.

Ezra was the only one using his fork, but hardly ate anything, pushing the beans around on his plate.

"No I know Vin's not the only one hungry. JD, stop playing with your food and eat it. Ezra, try lifting the fork to your mouth." Chris said with a sigh, "Vin, please take breathes between bites. Drink some water."

Vin grabbed his cup and drank the whole thing of water before going back to his food. Ezra just stared in horror.

"Ezra, please eat some of it."

Ezra looked back at his plate.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" JD asked, now eating his own food.

"Well we have no real plan." Buck said, looking up to Chris who had went back to eating his own meal. "I'll be getting supplies tomorrow in town in the morning."

"Can I go?" JD said, sitting on his knees in his chair, nearly knocking the contents left on his plate onto the table.

"You'll still be asleep when I go. We'll be trying to get better organized tomorrow I think."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we ain't men who settle down in one place for too long. We've been on the trails for about a month now. We've only just returned. We'll have to add another room to the place so Josiah can have his room back."

"What are we going to do?" Vin asked.

"What are you guys going to do?" Buck looked at Chris with a raised eyebrow. Chris only shrugged, "You can help Chris around the house." Buck grinned.

Chris threw his friend a glare which was only ignored.

Vin seemed excited to help Chris and even JD lost his disappointed look at not going into town with Buck.

Chris cleaned the dished while Buck entertained the boys in the other room. He told them stories of adventures they had been on. Most of them exaggerated for a younger audience. Vin and JD were completely absorbed in the story while Ezra looked around the room.

There wasn't much decoration since the men stayed on the move most of the time. The furniture looked handmade which was interesting. His eyes drifted to the man who was standing by himself over a sink, washing dishes. Ezra played with the bottom of the borrowed shirt he was wearing. Everything was going great. Maybe too great. Nothing ever happened too well in his experience. He had a feeling it would be the blonde who would be the one to lose his temper first. He looked the time who had a short fuse. If Larabee did get violent, he wouldn't let Vin or JD be at the end of his fury. It was his role as the oldest, though it scared him. This was Vin's great idea, not his. Personally he was still cautious when it came to trusting adults.

About another hour passed before Chris announced it was time for bed. Vin and JD had already fallen asleep, listening to Buck's stories. Only Ezra seemed to be conscious. Chris carried Vin in his arms while Buck cradled JD against his chest. Ezra followed them into the room they stayed in and crawled into bed. Vin and JD were placed next to him and Buck tucked them in. The tall man placed a kiss on JD's forehead before stealing himself out of the room. Chris pushed Vin's curls out of his face and smiled in the darkness at the peaceful face of the sleeping form. Ezra rustled next to him and spoke softly to him to make sure the others wouldn't wake.

"Do you need anything before going to bed?"

"No sir." Ezra answered automatically.

Chris nodded and made sure the covers were brought up to cover him before walking silently out the door and closing it nearly shut behind him.

Ezra wondered if Larabee just didn't like him. The man hardly touched him, though it was kind of a relief. The affection Buck showed towards JD and Chris's small gestures when he pushed away Vin's hair out of his face, it made him feel left out. Did Larabee not like him?

It worried him a little that the others were being easily accepted while he was on the edge. Would he be the one to be sent away? Fear gripped him and he coughed lightly before curling up in a ball.

 **A/N: First night at Chris's place. Things are going well so far. Ezra seems to have things on his mind though. Was that a cough?**


	4. In Sickness

Chris made a cup of coffee while Buck finished getting dressed to head out to go into town.

"You got the list of what we need?" Buck asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake up the boys hours earlier than they should.

"Yeah here." Chris handed over the piece of paper. "When do you think you'll be back?"

"What? Scared of being left alone for very long with the boys?" Buck joked.

"Some of the things on the list I need to make breakfast." Chris said as he sat down in a chair.

"Alright, I'll hurry on back instead of staying for a few drinks." Buck grunted as he finished his cup of coffee and set the cup back down.

"Don't forget to find out how Josiah and Nathan are doing and when they'll get here."

"Sure thing." Buck grinned before pulling his hat on and leaving the house.

Buck quickly saddled his horse before climbing on Daisy's back and turning towards town.

Because Chris was pretty well-known, there maybe people wanting to kill him to avenge kin. Having him go into town by himself, even though he probably could take care of himself, was risky. If there were more than one shooter, he wouldn't be able to take them. Josiah and Buck were able to go in and out of town without having to look over their shoulders. Chris, though he was able to scare off most threats with just his glare, couldn't. For the time being, he would lay low at the place he had built for himself and his friends. Though they hadn't had much time to enjoy it once Larabee found out the killer of his family was Ella Gaines. The woman was an ex-lover of Chris's and was crazy as hell. Anything that Chris loved was at risk of being taken from him. For that reason, the boys would remain at the Larabee ranch.

Chris sighed and moved to go out and replenish the Woodstock. He had too much on his mind and too much energy to burn off before the kids woke up.

After filling up the firewood bin at the side of the house and seeing to his horse, Chris washed up and came back inside. He began starting what he could for breakfast. It wasn't much since they were practically out from trying to fill Vin's bottomless pit. How could the boy look so thin yet seem so hungry?

JD woke up first and padded into the room. His hair was in every direction sticking up on end. He still looked tired as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"Where's Buck?" he yawned.

"He's in town." Chris answered as he steered the boy over to a chair and placed him in his seat. He then went and retrieved a blanket to cover the boy in.

JD looked disappointed at not waking up in time to go with Buck, but his eyes soon became hooded again before they closed and he fell asleep again.

Chris went back to the cooking when he heard Vin running into the room.

"Vin, don't get close to the stove. It's hot." Chris said as he caught the boy and carried him away from the hot area and set him back down.

"Something's wrong with Ez." Vin said with a shaky voice.

Chris stood up quickly from his kneeling position and made his way to the room where Ezra was still in bed.

The boy looked like he was still asleep, though the frown etched in his brow was not a particularly good sign. His hair was matted down with sweat and his lips parted every so often.

Chris checked the boy's temperature. It was pretty warm.

Ezra's green eyes opened and he looked like he was in pain.

"Where does it hurt?" Chris asked, pointing to different parts on himself. He didn't want to touch Ezra who was already scared of being touched. In his vulnerable state, he might freak out.

When Chris's hand pointed to his own throat, head and chest did Ezra nod.

"Is your throat sore?"

"Yes." Ezra croaked.

Chris nodded and quickly left the room. He came back about three minutes later with a spoon with warm honey.

"This should help a little."

Ezra opened his mouth and sucked the honey off the spoon. Chris then used a towel that he ran under cool water to wipe Ezra's forehead.

"You want to get up now?" Chris asked. He wasn't a professional when it came to taking care of someone who was sick. When Adam got sick, Sarah took care of him mostly. He did however carry his son around whenever the boy asked for his dad.

Ezra nodded and held out his arms. Chris didn't hesitate and picked the boy up and placed him on his hip. The boy's head rested on his shoulder as Chris rubbed his back in circles the way he did for Adam. Carrying him into the other room with JD and Vin, Chris tried to think of something he could do for the boy. Ezra would let out a pained groan as he was readjusted in Chris's arms.

Chris tried to think of a plan. Normally he'd be prepared for anything, However, this was a kid and not an adult. Ezra's body temperature would increase quicker than a grown man. He would have to cool him down.

"Vin, can you help me prepare a bath for Ezra?" Chris asked the antsy child.

Vin nodded and followed Chris's instructions in filling the buckets with water. Chris had to carry the bucket when it was full because the boy couldn't carry it.

Once the tub was partially full, Chris pulled the big shirt that Ezra was wearing and deposited the boy in the cool water.

Using a rag, Chris began to wash the sweat off of Ezra.

"It's going to be okay." Chris said in a low voice as Ezra struggled to keep his eyes open.

He let out scratchy coughs and whined.

"Can I do something to help?" JD asked, the noise waking him up. He was still in the chair, but he was turned around.

"No, everything is going to be just fine." Chris said before turning back to Ezra, "I want you to stay in here a little longer to bring your temperature down."

Chris went back to the stove to check on the food and was grateful nothing burnt. He turned everything off and let JD eat a little something to distract him. Vin however had taken up Chris's vacated position in wiping the rag over Ezra's back and neck.

Buck couldn't have arrived later to Chris. The tired blonde was seated with a bundled Ezra resting on his chest. Vin had taken it upon himself to climb on his lap too, his head resting on Chris's shoulder.

Only JD, who had been seated at the table, was able to greet him.

"Buck!"

Buck scooped the little boy up and settled him on his hip, "Heya kid. What did I miss?" he asked mostly Chris.

"Ezra's come down with a fever."

"Talk about bad timing. Want me to take over nursemaid?"

Chris nodded, grateful for the chance to stretch. Buck carefully lifted the boy out of his friend's hands after putting JD down.

Ezra felt the shift and his eyes flew open. What was happening? In his fevered mind, he was being handed to the orphanage people.

"NO, NO, NO!" he screamed and began flailing in Buck's grasp.

Buck grunted in pain when a small hand hit him right in the eye.

Chris stood up quickly, letting Vin slip out of his lap and onto his feet. He took Ezra back in his arms and began shushing him to calm down.

Ezra was breathing rapidly, a few racked coughs escaping his lips before he settled down again. Chris rocked the boy in his arms to help him fall back into sleep. Once Ezra's head was resting on Chris's shoulder with his eyes closed Chris turned to Buck, "I guess there won't be a change of the guards."

"I'll take care of breakfast for you." Buck offered.

"I made what I could. JD ate some food. Vin and Ezra haven't eaten yet."

Buck had the food heated and served in record time. Chris sat down again, Ezra still in his lap. Vin was preoccupied with food to notice. JD ate a little before playing with his food and offering the rest to Vin.

Ezra turned his head away from the fork holding food that Chris tried to feed him.

"Come on Ezra. You need to eat. I know Buck ain't the best cook, but I assure you it's edible for the most part."

"Thanks for that." Buck murmured.

Ezra continued his silent protest to eating.

"I'm at a loss." Chris sighed, ready to give up.

"I mean I'm not as good of a cook as you, but I didn't think it was that bad."

Chris managed to get a few forkfuls into Ezra before he refused to eat more.

"Maybe we should take him into town and have the doc check him out." Buck suggested.

"How's Nathan doing?" Chris asked after giving up.

"Couple of bruises, but nothing broken thankfully. Should be able to come back tomorrow."

"We can go into town today and stay the night. All of us could head back together." Chris said.

Buck nodded and soon the two men were prepping the boys for the journey.

Vin shied away from Buck getting him dressed so it took a little longer. Chris had to finish dressing Ezra before helping Vin button his shirt back up.

Once they were all ready, Chris and Buck got the horses ready and got the children settled in the saddles before taking off.

"Been a while since you've been here, hasn't it?" Buck asked.

"Four Corners? Don't particularly miss it."

"Because of who lies within?" Buck teased.

Chris didn't take the bait, but stayed silent.

"She saw Josiah coming into town with Nathan. I'm sure she's interrogated him thoroughly." Buck laughed.

"That woman is too persistent." Chris grumbled.

"Is that not a good quality to have?"

 **A/N: Poor Ezra is sick. I actually came up with this story during another break in the school year where I was sick. The chapter is short I know, but according to how I broke it up, it must be so unfortunately. The new semester is about to start, oh my!**


	5. Injuries

Four Corners was not considered a safe place for anyone to raise their family. Drunks rode their horses wildly through the streets, shooting in the air and at whatever else they thought was funny. Mostly they shot at scared civilians who scurried to safety.

"Dance!" laughed one of the drunks as he shot at a man who jumped to hide behind a row of barrels.

The drunks didn't notice the riders coming in, carrying children in their saddles. A bullet came of close to Chris's horse where Ezra was sitting in front of him.

Chris growled and in a blink of an eye, pulled out his gun and shot the man in the shooting hand, making him drop his weapon.

"There's children around." He said with a low growl.

The drunks, seeing the man in black suddenly became a whole lot more sobered up.

"Mr. Larabee sir!" said one of the drunks. "Our apologies."

The drunks all rode off to hide from Chris's wrath.

"Your glare still scaring people off." Buck laughed as he steered his horse to the doc's place.

Chris dismounted before turning to help Vin down and then Ezra. Buck slipped off his horse and then helped JD. They made their way to the doctor's place on the second floor.

Josiah sat with a cup of coffee in the room he was renting. Nathan was sound asleep in the bed after visiting the doctor. He had been listening to the sounds of shots going off outside and recognized it as the drunk men causing chaos. Josiah felt that if he was able to finish up putting the church together then he'd be able to reach out and help those lost souls. It was only a thought he entertained when he was in town. Since he joined Chris and Buck on his mission for revenge for the loss of his family, he hadn't had much time to think on such things. However, since they were now in charge of four boys, they'd probably would have to stay in a more stable place to help the children grow. Though he didn't want to be the one to tell Chris this. The blonde wouldn't have the time to go after Ella Gaines with two boys depending on him being there. The shooting stopped suddenly.

Must be Chris. No one else has that effect. The law had long left, forsaking this place like so many others. Chris was like the local baddie that was only tolerated to help scare off other unwanted people. The man himself didn't care for this arrangement and stayed out of town for the most part.

Josiah wondered what could've happened to have their leader come in. Wasn't anything good, that was for sure. About five more minutes passed before Buck and JD appeared at his door.

"Buck, didn't expect to see you back so soon." Josiah said once he sat down in the restaurant of the boarding house.

"Weren't planning on it, but Ezra's come down with something. We think he was sick on the coach before he got here. He's burning up. Has fits if anyone other than Chris tries to touch him."

"You made it sound like Ezra was scared of Chris before."

"I thought so too. Maybe he trusts him now not to hurt him."

"So what's the new plan?"

"So far everything is the same unless Ezra needs to stay here longer."

Josiah nodded and looked down at JD who was playing with a whittling knife and a block of wood.

"You sure he should be doing that?"

"I'm watching him aren't I?" Buck grinned.

About ten minutes later after his talk with Josiah, Buck went back to go check on the others. Nathan had woken up and JD seemed interested in staying and talking with the other boy.

Buck was taken aback by what he saw.

Vin's face was wet with tears and had a little dirt on it. His right arm was in a sling.

"What happened to junior?"

"Gravity. I told him to not run up the stairs, but he didn't listen." Chris said, a little irritated about how his day was going.

"You going to be alright?" Buck asked Vin once he knelt down in front of the boy.

"I'm s-sorry." Vin cried."

"It's okay Vin. It's not your fault."

Chris looked ready to say otherwise, but didn't.

"How's Ezra?" Buck looked back up at his friend.

"Doc is giving him some medicine right now. He'll have to rest after that and then eat." Chris sighed.

Vin was still tearing up so Larabee picked the boy up to calm him down.

"Well I don't know how long we have till your presence is found out by you know who." Buck grinned.

His humor was not shared and Chris walked out the room to go check on his other charge.

Mary Travis was not technically the person who was in charge of the town, however she had great influence with her paper. It was her print that had made it known to the surrounding towns that the infamous Chris Larabee had taken up residence in their small town. The effect it had, kept men who were afraid of Larabee, but it also brought some unruly gangs to try their chances with taking on the gunslinger. It was almost like a rite of passage to defeat the man dressed in black. That or at least survive.

During that time, was when Larabee was at the deepest part of his grieving. No man, who had unwisely challenged him was spared. He also spent most of his time in the saloon, drowning his sorrow. One day a man had dared to approach the dangerous man. They interacted as if they had known each other a long time and suddenly they disappeared. Mary hadn't seen either man since then and hated herself for not taking more interest in the man that had talked Mr. Larabee. There could've been a story there, or maybe some background information on Larabee.

This was her chance to talk to the man after a month. Mary took a deep breath and tried to calm her pacing heart. Whenever she talked to the man, she could feel her heart racing faster. She wasn't sure if it was because the man was attractive, which there was no mistaking the matter, or if the adrenaline kicked in whenever she was with him. He was a man of action, adventure, and sorrow. He was like a complex story waiting to be told and she wanted to be the one to tell it.

This story of him coming back with two men and children didn't sound remotely feasible, but there were witnesses to some boys riding with them. Had he had a string of lovers and just now brought them back to live with him? Were his lovers killed like his wife and son? This was a beginning to be another story she was sure to be her best yet. A crazy killer after Larabee and all those he loved, him trying to protect what's left of what is his. His children would no doubt grow up to be just like their father and seek revenge for their mothers who were killed. The thought of it gave her chills.

Taking another deep breath, she knocked on the door that she was told Larabee was in. A minute passed before a tall man with dark hair and a mustache opened it.

She was sure she had the right room, and she frowned in confusion.

"I'm sorry. I was told this is where I would find Mr. Larabee." She said.

The tall man gave a huge grin as if she said something funny before it went away, "Sorry but now's not the time. He's a little preoccupied at the moment."

"Sir, I will not have a gunslinger hiding out in my town without knowing why. There are children here and I am trying to protect the citizens from any possible dangers."

"So Chris ain't one of your citizens anymore because he's been away for a month?"

"Buck." Came another man's voice as Chris Larabee finally appeared. He looked completely tired, as if he hadn't been sleeping in days.

Had he really been troubled over the deaths of his loved ones for this long?

"Stay here with them, this will only take a minute."

Buck nodded and went back into the room. Chris shut the door before Mary could see anything inside.

"What do you want Mary? I'm only in town for the day so there's no reason for a meeting." Chris growled out in irritation.

"So you're leaving again then?" This disappointed her a little. If the man would only stay then the bad elements would be removed more quickly.

"That's my business alone."

Vin began to get restless once Chris had left the room. He had been cooped up all day and needed to get some fresh air. Buck sat down in the chair looking as dead on his feet as Chris.

"Can I go outside?" he asked once the big man had closed his eyes.

"You have to wait until Chris says it's okay, junior."

"I'll go ask him then." Vin said eagerly before running to the door and flinging it open.

"Wha—wait Vin!" Buck said, pushing himself out of his comfortable seat and went after him.

"Pa!" Vin called after Larabee who was trying to persuade Mary to go back downstairs and leave. Chris turned around and cursed under his breath. Plus, the boy was using the word 'pa' again which would be easily misinterpreted by Mrs. Travis. He knelt down in front of Vin when he skidded to a stop. "Can I go outside? I haven't been able to do anything but sit in a saddle or be indoors for two days."

"An overstatement." Chris wanted to roll his eyes, "Buck, just take him outside and distract him. Stay out of trouble the both of you. I'll stay here."

Buck nodded and took Vin by the hand to assist the injured boy down the stairs so he wouldn't hurt himself again.

"So you have another son?" Mary said, looking at the boy who had left. He didn't look too much like Larabee. He had blue eyes and wavy brown hair. If it wasn't for the clothes, she might of mistook him for a girl. He was so slender and his hair was pulled back in a little pigtail.

Chris didn't answer her question, because if he said 'yes' then she'd asked where the boy had been all these years and who his mother was. If he said 'no' then she'd ask why he was called 'pa' and what the boy was doing with him. Neither were options he was willing to talk about at present. He just wanted to get Ezra eating and in bed so he could sleep this day away.

"I'll let you believe what you want. You do that already." He murmured before walking back to the room he had left and went back inside.

Mary stayed in her place near the steps before deciding she could try and get some information out of the tall man.

Chris closed the door softly and turned to see Ezra was sitting up in bed, He looked worse if that was possible. He wondered if the medicine hadn't kicked in yet.

"Need some water?" he asked, pouring a cup and offering it to the shaky hands.

Chris decided he should help him out, and held the cup for the boy while he drank.

"Thank you, Mr. Larabee."

"You don't have to call me mister." Chris sighed. The boy was too formal.

Ezra only kept his head down with his hands in his lap. His fingers were playing with the blanket over him.

"I know I'm being an inconvenience to you and Mr. Wilmington. For that, I understand if you wish to have nothing to do with me and leave me behind." The boy said with a shaky voice, "If I could be so bold as to make a request. I ask that you love and take care of Vin and JD. I know they can be a handful, but they're really good I assure you—"

"Ezra, stop talking as if I'm about to leave you behind because I ain't."

Tears began to drip on the boy's hands and there was a little sniff. "But why would you want to keep me around? No one ever does. I'm an inconvenience."

"No you're not." Chris growled. "I don't know who's been feeding you those lies but you're not an inconvenience to Buck, Josiah or me. You're stuck with us for as long as you'll have us."

Ezra looked up, tears rolling down his cheeks. He searched Chris's face for lies, but he didn't see any.

Chris opened his arms to him and Ezra scrambled out the bed and clung to him.

There, that feeling of safety he had felt before. He hadn't felt this ever when he was with his mother or any of the husbands she had married or his relatives. This was new and sincere. Ezra was determined to keep this feeling forever.

Chris cradled the boy in his arms, rubbing his back to help him calm down. Once the boy's breathing wasn't shaky from tears, Chris pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Ezra's face.

"Why don't we go get something to eat with the others?"

Ezra nodded against his neck and Chris carried him out of the room.

 **A/N: Seems like there's an understanding now with Chris and Ezra. Vin broke his arm! :( Mary is going to try and discover who these children belong to.**


	6. and In Health

Mary found the tall man and the little boy with the sling walking into the general store. She followed from a distance.

Once she was inside, she was greeted by Mr. Potter.

Buck looked up and only smiled while shaking his head. "You sure are persistent." He mused.

Mary decided to ignore the comment and walked up to him boldly. He didn't seem all that dangerous, like Chris, but she wasn't going to stupid and think he wasn't capable of things.

"My name is Mary Travis. I run the Clarion paper."

"I know who you are ma'am." The tall man laughed, he tipped his hat in a salute, "Buck Wilmington at your service."

The guy was obviously a flirt, Mary noticed.

"You are friends with Mr. Larabee, correct?"

"There's no reason to keep up pretenses. You came here to ask something of me." Buck said, turning back to watch his charge who had popped an unbought piece of candy in his mouth. Buck winced and pushed a coin on the counter to pay for it before the owner could start complaining.

Mary watched the boy not notice the exchange, but reach for another piece of candy. Buck grabbed the little hand and pulled it away. He grabbed a small bag and placed it in Vin's hand.

"Take the pieces of candy you'd like and put it in here, then give it to me. Don't eat anymore until you've had real food."

The boy made a pouting face, but did as he said. Buck had to redo the instructions and limited to five pieces of candy.

"What about Ez, JD and Nate?"

Buck sighed, "Fine you can get them some." How much was he about to spend on candy?

"So what's this about Mr. Larabee having children. What happened to their mothers?"

Buck turned his attention from supervising Vin to Mary. He gave a chuckle.

"Haven't changed a bit have you. Still making up stories. You should just become a fictional writer instead. Could sale a lot of the stories you come up with. Chris and the rest of us are taking in a couple of children who had nowhere else to go. No lovers you need to be competing against."

"I'm not competing for—" Mary stopped her outburst and checked her volume, "Shouldn't these children be in more appropriate care than a bunch of gunslingers?"

"You forget Chris had a kid."

"I know he did, but he also had a wife too."

"You don't think a man can raise a kid on his own? Only a woman can be single and raise a child right? You forget these boys are here with us while yours is with relatives. Who's the one actually trying here?"

"It's too dangerous to raise my son here because of the way things are now."

"Then move in with your relatives so you can be with him. Don't see what's keeping you here."

"I was hoping Mr. Larabee and his reputation would get rid of any bad elements. That way my son can come back home."

"Lovely thought, but I doubt Chris would want to be your warning sign to thugs." Buck murmured and guided Vin to the front to pay for the candy.

The group rejoined and Josiah brought down Nathan and JD while Chris carried Ezra in.

"He doing any better?" Josiah asked.

"Not too much. Usually gets worse before it gets any better." Chris answered as he sat down and readjusted the boy in his lap. "How are you doing Nathan?"

"Better sir." Nathan said with a tired smile.

"Once everyone's gotten some food in them I think you boys can rest while the adults talk."

"But I aint tired!" Vin piped up.

"Vin, you're taking a nap and that's the end of it. You can play later." Chris frowned at the little bag in the boy's pocket, "What's that? Give it here."

"Buck got it for me." Vin whined.

Chris took the bag and sighed in frustration when he saw the sweets.

Buck shrugged, "Didn't think it'd be too bad so long as he ate it after his meal."

"The whole bag Buck?"

"No, he got some for the rest of the boys."

Chris looked at Vin who looked broken from having his candy taken from him. "After you eat you can all have some." Vin's head snapped up and he was grinning happily. "But you're still going to bed after this. Any fuss and there won't be sweets for a week."

There were nods from the other two and Chris felt he should be satisfied with that for now. He tried sitting Ezra in his own chair but the boy started to fuss.

"Ezra, you need to sit on your own and eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Well I want you to eat something regardless." Chris said as he managed to detach the boy from his arms and sit him down in a chair next to him.

"Pa. I can't use my right hand." Vin pointed out. It was in a sling that was threatening to be undone by the way the boy kept moving it.

"Vin, you usually eat with your hands anyway, how's this a problem?"

"I mostly eat with my right."

"And he can't put as much food in his mouth with one hand." Buck smiled.

"It just means you'll have to eat a little slower, buddy. Don't worry, no one's going to touch your food."

The group ate with little problem. Vin made an even bigger mess with only one hand if that was possible and Ezra kept refusing to eat. By the time they had all finally finished, the adults were ready to take a short nap themselves.

Vin, despite what Chris said, was crying the entire way up to the rented room.

"But I'm not tired." He said with a shaky breath as Chris pulled the boy's pants and shoes off.

"Well then you can just lay here with the rest until we come and get you."

The rest of the boys were prepared in a similar fashion for their nap before the men tucked them in the large bed and slipped out

Vin sat up almost immediately after the door was closed.

"Vin, just go to sleep. You're actin' like they told you to eat a pile of vegetables." Ezra groaned as he turned in bed to try and get comfortable.

"I ain' t like ya'll who love to stay in bed all day." Vin huffed and climbed out of the bed.

"I don't like to stay in bed all day." JD yawned.

"Yeah but you need to take naps JD. You're still a baby."

"Am not!"

"Is to!"

"Can you both quiet down." Nathan whence as he rolled away from the noise.

"Why you sleeping Nate?"

"Cause my chest hurts and there ain't nothing to do that don't hurt it more besides sleeping."

"I agree." Ezra murmured.

"Bunch of babies the whole lot of you." He muttered as he slipped out the door.

"Do either of you know what the hell we're doing, cause I sure as hell don't." Chris groaned as he sat back in his chair, trying to stretch his aching back.

"We're taking care of four boys." Buck smiled at how things turned out.

"Like we know what the hell we're doing."

"It's true." Josiah chuckled as he drank his whiskey.

"Chris, you know how to raise a boy. You raised Adam didn't you."

"Sarah raised Adam."

"You're acting like you didn't do anything. That boy idolized you."

"Yeah, and I wasn't there for him and his mama when they needed me the most."

"Brother Chris, you don't give yourself enough credit. We're the only ones who can help these boys right now. They depend on us to keep them safe and to care for them. We'll take it one day at a time."

Buck nodded and Chris sighed, giving them his silent agreement. Just then they saw Vin coming down the stairs.

"Hell, I ain't ever gonna get a break." Chris muttered to himself as he shifted in his chair towards the boy coming to him. "Vin I told you, you were to be in bed."

Vin placed himself between his pa's legs. "I promise I'll be good if I can stay down here."

"Son, we're not trying to punish you all by making you take naps. Just need time for the grownups to talk." Buck tried to reason.

"I can stay quiet while yall talk. I can even play dumb."

Josiah felt his heart break at those words.

"Vin, I want you in bed. You keep moving your arm around and it ain't going to get better any time soon."

Vin pretended to ignore him and Chris picked him up and began carrying him up the stairs. The little boy kicked his scrawny bare legs and screamed for all he was worth.

"You best settle down Vincent." Chris said sternly without raising his voice. He was doing his best not to lose his temper. Vin kept it up though until Chris sat him back on his feet and turned him to face him. "Now look here. You asked me and my friends to take in you and yours. That comes with conditions. The condition is that you listen to us, because despite what you believe I ain't trying to hurt or neglect you. Now let me try and do right by all of you and let us make a plan."

Vin's shallow breaths and tears kept him from speaking.

Chris dug into his pocket and used his handkerchief to wipe the boy's face. He kissed the boy on the top of his head and took him by the hand and led him back to the room.

After replacing him back in bed and closing the door, Chris went back down stairs.

"He fixing to stay up there this time?" Buck grinned.

"He better." Chris grunted, sitting down once more.

"So, what do we got; a boy coming down with sickness, another with a broken arm, and one more with bruised ribs. Only one healthy boy among the lot. All of this in two days. I say we're doing incredible under the circumstances." Josiah murmured around his bottle.

"At this rate we might lose one of them." Buck shook his head with a snort.

"Excuse me, Mr. Larabee."

The three men turned to see Mary Travis standing a few feet away.

"Just what I needed." Chris muttered to himself.

She stepped up to the table with her hands clasped in front of her.

"I think it's under the best interest of those boys that I send for someone to come and get them. We'll find them good and proper homes."

"With all do respect, Mrs. Travis. Being an orphan myself. I don't think you know anything about what these boy's need." Buck said, losing his smile.

"Easy Buck." Chris said quietly, "Mrs. Travis. I know you only think of men like us are only capable of taking lives, but I can assure you, we are more than able to protect and care them too."

"My father-in-law, is coming in a few days on the coach. IF you can convince him that you are able to take care of these boys then he can sign you off as their legal guardians. If not, he can have them removed from you."

Silence fell over the small party.

Chris filled up his shot glass and saluted Mrs. Travis with it. "Well I guess we best start proving then. Right boys."

Josiah and Buck gave huge grins and poured themselves a drink while Chris threw his down his throat. He kept his eyes fixed on Mrs. Travis until she finally turned and left the building.

"So what now, Stud?"

"First, we get supplies so we can head back to the house. We'll need to make renovations to make this more permanent. Rotating beds is just going to be a pain in the long term."

"What about money?" Buck pointed out.

"Buck, you're good at finding something to do around people."

"And this place doesn't have a church yet and preacher." Josiah added.

"So what are you going to do Chris? Playing housewife?" Buck grinned.

"Raised horses before, I can do it again. Now for schooling, I'll leave that up to you Josiah. I know how to cook a few things besides trail food to switch things up. We'll rotate who puts them down to bed."

"JD likes them stories I tell him. Maybe that can help before putting them down at night." Buck suggested."

"Looks like we got a plan brothers." Josiah said as he looked up to the ceiling with a smile.

The men decided amongst themselves that Josiah and Buck would go and wake the boys up. Chris would be allowed the afternoon to rest before his shift.

To Josiah and Buck's surprise when they came into the room, Vin was spralled out fast asleep.

"Poor thing must've worn himself out after crying." Buck laughed.

He started with getting JD up and dressed, the little boy not really ready to wake up. Nathan dressed himself while Josiah moved to wake up Ezra.

Ezra felt a big hand touch his shoulder and from his fevered dreams it was his step-father. He sprang up and started screaming. The look of fear was in his eyes as he tried to distance himself away from Josiah and Buck.

"Whoa there, son. Everything's okay. We aren't here to hurt you." Buck said trying to calm the boy down. The other boys stared in wide-eyed confusion.

"Buck, why don't you take the rest of the boys outside." Josiah suggested.

Buck gathered the other three while Ezra remained whimpering in his corner.

"Ezra. Did you have a bad dream again?"

Ezra kept suspicious eyes on Josiah's form as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you still not feeling well?" Ezra remained still and quiet, "Would you like to rest a little longer?"

Ezra finally looked away in thought.

"I don't want to leave you here all alone though." Josiah scratched his head, trying to figure something out.

"Where's Mr. Chris?" Ezra asked quietly.

"He's asleep in a room down the hall." Josiah knew Chris was going to hate him but he continued, "Would you like to stay in his room and sleep."

A small nod was his reply and Josiah led Ezra, careful to not touch him again, down the hall and knocked on the door twice.

There was a long pause before the door opened and a tired Chris appeared. He looked down and saw Ezra. Letting out a sigh and not even bothering to say anything, He brought the boy inside and closed the door again. Ezra stood in the middle of the room not sure what to do as Chris dropped back into the bed.

"You can come on if you want to." Chris yawned.

Ezra climbed into the bed and curled up into a ball next to Chris. Soon were both fast asleep.

 **A/N: Things are starting to get settled, but now Vin is hurt and Chris is just tired.**


	7. Take Care of Me

Vin, Nathan and JD had begun a game of hide and seek with Buck. Vin was finding shelter under the board walk when he noticed two familiar faces. He crawled out of his hiding place and ran after them.

"Kate! Maddie!" he called after them.

The two girls stopped walking and turned around.

"Vin? What the hell are you doin' here?" Maddie asked with a frown.

"Nice to see you too Maddie." Vin huffed.

"I thought you were still in that other town, or on the stage coach." Kate finally spoke up.

"I thought that was what happened to the both of you. We found these men who says they're going to take care of us." Vin grinned at the last part.

"Is one of those men the ones who did that to you?" Maddie pointed at the arm in the sling.

"I actually fell on the steps and injured myself. Buck says I just need to drink more milk to get stronger bones."

"These men just took you?" asked Kate.

"No." Vin shook his head, "They took in JD and Ez and another boy. He's a darkie, but real nice. We're playing a game of hide and seek right now."

"So that's it? You're all adopted now."

"Well, it don't seem to be official yet, because no papers were signed like the lady said was supposed to happen, but I consider us to be adopted, yes."

"What you think don't matter." Maddie sniffed.

"Hey, junior. I don't think you grasp the concept of hiding." Buck laughed as he approached the little group. "Now who's this? You making friends?"

"This here's Kate and Maddie Stokes. They were on the stage coach with us."

"You abandoned that poor lady too then? Woman is going to be out of a job." Buck shook his head.

"Who are you mister?" Maddie frowned up at him.

"Well I'm Buck little lady. Now are you Kate or Maddie?"

"Maddie."

"Well it's nice to meet you Maddie."

"Do you drink?"

Buck didn't really understand the question. "Yes."

"Do you get angry when you drink?"

Clarity dawned on Buck and he knelt down in front of the girls, "There's not a mean bone in my body except for those who would harm a woman or child."

"Are the other men like you?"

"I'm one of a kind." Buck smiled at Kate who had asked. "But know that they would never harm you either. You have my word on that matter."

Chris had only been sleeping for twenty minutes when he heard the loud knocking and then the door flung open to reveal Vin.

"Pa!" Vin said as he tried to climb onto the bed.

"Shh, Vin. Ezra's still asleep. Careful, that's his head." Chris said softly, propping the skinny boy by the waist so he wouldn't fall onto Ezra's head. "What is it?"

"Kate and Maddie are here. They was on the coach with us."

"Okay." Chris said, not really seeing where this was going.

"Can you adopt them too? They have nowhere else to go."

Two more children.

"Did you ask Josiah and Buck what they thought?"

"They said yes as long as you were okay with it." Vin said, looking expectantly at Chris with big doe eyes.

Chris let out a sigh, "Well I suppose two more won't make much more of a difference."

"Thanks pa." Vin grinned and wrapped his arms around Chris's neck, all the while Chris kept him from kneeing Ezra in the face.

Vin then squirmed free and ran out of the room after promising to slow down once he reached the stairs.

An hour later Chris woke up and carried Ezra into the children's rented room to get him dressed.

Ezra had bad bed head and was cranky.

"But I don't feel well enough to go outside."

"It's only for a short while, and you need the exercise. Part of getting better is to be out and being active."

Ezra let out a fit of coughs, whether it was on purpose or that he really needed to was up for Chris to make the conclusion.

They made it outside where Buck and Josiah had the children sitting together on the edge of board walk. Chris noticed the new additions sitting next to JD. The younger of the two was getting into a scuffle. Nathan sat at a distance, sub-consciously or because the others weren't being friendly.

Ezra sat down next to Vin who was not wearing his sling properly again.

"Nathan, I want you to switch places with the little girl." Chris said.

There was hesitation, but the children switched spots so that the little girl was on the end.

"I'm Chris Larabee, girls, and I was told an hour ago that you are in need of a place to stay. We've told the boys already that while we are not sure how this would work, we take care of you all to the best of our abilities. With that said, there are a few things that need to be discussed with all of you. The boys know this already in who is under the charge of one of us three men. JD is with Buck, Nathan with Josiah, Vin and Ezra with me. Now to make things easier, the older girl will be with Buck and the younger with Josiah. This does not mean you can't ask for help from any of us still.

Moving on, when we ask you to do something, like any other adult, we are doing it because it is in your best interest even if you cannot see it. Everything we're doing is for a reason. That means naps, baths, doing as your told not rebelling. We're heading back to my place tomorrow afternoon, but we'll be staying here up until that point.

Now any questions?" None of the children said anything. "Alright, let's get you all washed up for dinner then."

The scramble to get up and six young people hurrying inside was hectic to watch.

"Well Chris." Josiah smiled, "I believe you two are on duty after dinner."

The next morning was Sunday. Josiah had planned for that morning to do a sermon for those who would listen. It was the easiest way he knew to get a church congregation started. For now, he'd have his little audience.

"Why do I have to go?" Vin complained as Chris helped him into a clean shirt to prevent the boy from injuring his arm further.

"Because you're showing your support and you can reflect on things." Chris murmured.

"But I ain't no Christian. All I know of is the gods the Indians worship."

"Well, you're still going."

"I've never even been to a church before. My mother always said that God would strike us dead if we tried entering His house." Ezra said as he pulled on his little jacket.

Vin and JD paled.

"He is not going to strike you dead. If anyone is going to be killed it'd be me." Chris said as he checked to make sure his half of the children were dressed.

"Because you killed people?" Vin asked.

"Reflect on your life Vin, not mine. I can reflect on my own without help." Chris said as he gathered the boys and began walking them downstairs. Buck was already waiting for him with the girls.

Chris put them in pairs as they walked down the street in a line.

It was almost like watching a little army or parade. Passers watched with smiles as the procession went by with the stern black-cladded leader in front and the grinning tall and handsome man in the back.

Mary noticed them and looked surprised and confused.

They found Josiah with several benches set up already ready for them. Chris took half of the children and sat with them with Buck took the other. Josiah began speaking, his voice loud and commanding as he gave the sermon of the day. Vin, who sat next to Chris stared at the ground not really listening. Ezra was ramrod straight as if one ill move would have him struck dead in his seat. Maddie covered her ears in a pretty defiant manner.

Chris tried to remove her hands from her ears, but they went back up.

Sighing, he pulled her over to him and had Vin and Ezra scoot down so she could sit next to him.

"Why are you covering your ears?"

"Cause I don't like preachers and I don't like God."

"Why?"

"They's the ones who took my momma."

"Is that true?"

Maddie shook her head hard and went back to covering her ears. Chris sighed and pulled her in to rest her head on his lap as he rubbed her back. Her body shook as she began to cry silently.

The service went rather well with no real problem for the new fathers. Chris released them to play providing they change out of their 'church clothes' it was basically their cleanest clothes that they had available. It reminded him that all of their clothes would need to be washed and the children all bathed again.

"Mr. Larabee." Came a voice from behind and Chris rested his hand on his gun but removed it once he saw it was only the shop owner, Potter. "I heard that you and your men took in some orphans."

"Mrs. Travis's newspaper tell you that?"

"No, one of my customers and I had to see it for myself. Six little ones. Looks like you'll be having your hands full."

Chris wasn't sure if this man was mocking him, but he was definitely way too happy about something.

"I have some clothes that my children have gotten too big for if you'd like them. They should fit the older boy. My daughter's dresses should work for the oldest girl. I'm afraid we've given away the smaller ones."

"Thank you." Chris said, and he meant it. He needed all the help he could get.

"It's no trouble at all. If you need anything else, just ask. My wife would be glad to send some meals your way."

"Do you by any chance have a position available at your shop?"

"Be happy to take you on sir. I must say it isn't that exciting as you're probably used to."

"Well not for me. I can't stay indoors for too long. But my friend Buck could probably fill in the position well."

"Just send him over when he's ready to work." Potter nodded.

Chris thanked him one more time before going to go fetch his horse.

Mary found Buck sitting outside of the saloon whittling at a block of wood with JD.

"Mr. Wilmington."

"Mrs. Travis." Buck nodded.

Mary looked at the little boy, who had smiled at her before going back to his work on his block of wood. The child looked so much like the man he sat next to. She wondered if they could actually be blood.

"Need something ma'am?"

"I was looking for Mr. Larabee."

"You just missed him. Chris left town already."

"Left town?" Mary was about to start making her case about them being horrible choices of parents when Buck put his hand up to stop her.

"He's going ahead to start making Sunday dinner. Bit of a tradition from his previous family and he's trying to start it with this one. It's going to take him a bit longer with nine of us now."

"Nine?"

"Yes. Four boys, two girls, and three grown boys." Buck smiled.

"I see." Mary said as she began walking away.

"Did you want to leave a message for Chris with me?"

"No, I can tell him later."

In fact, she already started formulating a plan.

Mary went to where she lived and prepared something simple to reheat and take over. Cornbread, ham with cold milk.

She packed it all before having a horse saddled and riding out of town.

Mary had never been to Larabee's place, but she was aware of where it was. The house was a pretty nice size, big enough to allow for six children and three people to not feel incredibly cramped. The land around it was nice, with a pen for the horses and a nearby garden. It almost was, no it definitely was a bit surprising for the infamous gunslinger Larabee. She couldn't imagine him domesticated.

Tying her horse away, she carried her basket and knocked on the door. Chris answered it with his gun visible. When he realized who it was, he put his gun away.

"Bit away from home aren't you Mrs. Travis." Chris said as he rested himself against the doorjamb.

"I came to offer you some help."

"Help?"

"With dinner. This is your first time having to cook for everyone correct? "

"I'm capable of cooking dinner if that's what you are referring."

"You have nine people to cook for. It would be easier and quicker if you had an extra pair of hands."

"Alright." He finally said.

Chris backed out of the doorway and allowed her to come inside.

Mary looked around the new area. It was pretty clean for several men and children to be living in, but then she had to remember that they had just gotten there. Still, everything was cleaned off and was organized.

"So what are you planning on making?" she finally asked.

"Dumplings."

"Do you know how to make them?"

It was a pretty bold choice in meals to make.

"I've seen them made a couple of times." Chris said, not turning around to look at her.

Mary thought she heard a touch of bitterness.

"Well I brought some food to go along with it. That is if you don't mind."

Chris just nodded and the two got to work.

Mary was surprised at how easily he worked at the stove. She wondered if he had actually made dumplings instead of just watching.

"You're quite the mystery, Mr. Larabee." She smiled.

 **A/N: Patching things up, and who doesn't need a time to reflect with God on Sunday?**


	8. Hold Me When I Cry

Chris finished up the last of the preparations for dinner with the help of Mary just as the children came through the door.

"Alright you little rascals, wash your hands before sitting at the table." Buck instructed as he came in last.

If Buck was surprised at seeing Mary there, he hid it well. "Just so's you know, Stud. We had to upgrade to a wagon to get all six here."

Chris chose not to dwell on how much that cost at the moment. He had to figure out how he was going to get everyone seated. In his mind he had the perfect arrangement to cause less arguing around the table.

It went: Chris, Vin, Ezra, Kate, Josiah Mary, Maddie, Buck, Nathan, JD.

That way JD and Maddie couldn't fight. Vin couldn't steal JD's food. Nathan liked talking to JD and Buck and Mary was as far away from him as possible.

Chris didn't mind the help and since they were concentrating on not just making lunch, but food for dinner, they didn't talk about anything besides instructions. Now that was over, he didn't want to be asked questions about why he had six children with him.

After Josiah said grace an eruption of greedy hands began diving for the food. The adults were strategically placed to prevent them from making a mess of things, and once everyone was served, the children were once again placid.

"I must say I'm impressed at how well you are all doing." Mary said finally. She wasn't lying. To be able to handle four was a challenge enough. Watching six was going to be murderous on the sleep.

"Well we've only just started. I'm sure once Ezra gets better and Vin and Nathan heal, something else will arise." Buck chuckled.

"So you have a plan then?"

"Never without one. Chris always has something."

"Thank you Buck for volunteering to give up your bed." Chris said. "Children, thank Buck for being so nice."

Buck was bombarded with six thank yous which was Chris's way of saying he couldn't back out.

"I shall happily give up my room for the girls." Buck said with a cocky smile.

The children went outside to play except for Ezra who went to rest with Nathan who was also not feeling up to it. Buck helped clean up with Josiah while Mary watched the children.

It sort of just happened that she was outside while the four remaining children ran around, discovering new things at their new home. Chris came out shortly after seeing to the sickroom. He fed the horses and made sure there was fresh water.

The blonde was just finishing up when he heard crying. Chris turned around and looked for the source. JD had been trying to follow the others in climbing the wooden fence on the far side of the pen and fell.

Chris got to him just as the boy tried to get back up. He was holding his head as he continued to cry.

"Did you hit your head?"

JD was unintelligible with his crying and just nodded.

Chris looked over the spot where JD was holding and found that the skin hadn't been broken, but he had a bump there. He picked the boy up, still crying his lungs out and turned to the others who was still perched on the fence.

"All of you off the fence right now."

Once he was satisfied that none of them got hurt he called Vin over.

Vin dipped his head.

"I don't want to see you climbing the fence again, do you understand?"

"But I wasn't the only one!" Vin pouted.

"No, but you're the one with a sling and a broken arm."

Vin looked ready to cry and Chris felt like he over did it.

Standing up, he took Vin by the hand and carried JD towards the house.

Mary watched as Larabee came with the crying boys and was curious as to what had happened.

"Vin, you're going to sit here with Mrs. Travis until she says you can go back out and play." Chris instructed before going inside to care for the little one in his arms.

He prayed that Mary would keep Vin there longer than a few minutes so he could finish up with JD.

Buck looked up when he saw Chris come in with JD. He crossed the room to take him.

"Oh no, what happened, kid?" Buck said softly.

"Fell off the fence." Chris supplied, rubbing the boy's back as JD continued to cry.

"You know you're only giving him what he wants." Buck grinned before kissing JD on the forehead. The screaming finally quieted and JD dropped his head on Buck's shoulder with two fingers in his mouth.

"Where did you learn that trick?" Chris asked in wonder.

"With Adam. A kiss always makes it feel better. Right kid?"

JD gave a nod as he continued to suck on his fingers.

"You've been doing this little trick on my son?" Chris frowned.

Buck gave a sad smile, "Yeah well, you didn't seem to do it. Sarah did though. You had your own little thing you were known for that Adam loved. The back rubs."

Chris only trusted himself with a nod before going back outside to watch the other three.

It was shortly after dinner that Chris rode back to town with Mrs. Travis. Since it was getting late he thought he should escort her. It was the least he could do.

At the home front chaos came at his absence. A game of cards, brought out by Ezra, had the children all upset as they lost continuously against the older boy. Fights broke out and the results had Vin aggravating his injured arm and crying, JD crying because he wanted the fighting to stop and Maddie ripping up Ezra's cards which had the boy going into hysterics. Josiah and Buck couldn't act in time before everyone but Nathan and Kate were crying.

"I think it's time for bed." Buck said to his co-parent.

"Agreed."

Vin and Ezra refused to be handled which left the men to get the others dressed first before teaming up against them to get the boys in their night clothes. Vin soon quieted down after a while, but Ezra was still throwing an impressive fit for his age. He actually bit Buck and was able to squirm out of his grasp and retreat into a corner.

"Damn, how Chris deals with him I'll never know. Whenever I try touch him he goes berserk." Buck hissed as he splashed water over the bite.

"Why don't you get that actually cleaned off. I'll put them in bed." Josiah offered.

Buck nodded and went to go clean his wound properly.

Josiah turned to the two boys who were refusing to move.

"I promise I'll tell Chris to come in to see you before he goes to bed."

"Can't we just stay up and wait for him?" Vin pleaded.

"I don't think you want him to be upset to find that you're not in bed, do you?"

Vin bit his bottom lip.

"Just lay in bed and I'll send him when he gets here, fair?"

Vin looked to Ezra who still was held up in his corner.

"Okay." Vin said before running to go get in bed.

Ezra didn't move.

"Ezra, I won't touch you, but you need to get into bed. You can wait for Chris there."

"But my cards are ruined." Ezra said in a shaky breath.

Josiah sighed, "Yes, I'm sorry about your cards. I wish I could fix them if it were possible."

"Mah motha gave them to me to practice wih." Ezra said, his tears falling again and his southern accent growing thick.

Josiah knew he was out of his depths with this one. Ezra never talked about his mother very much or his past.

After another minute of tears Ezra wiped his face and looked like he was trying to look as if everything was completely normal now. His breathing was still shaky and he still coughed, but beyond that, he was playing his part of a person unaffected. Ezra went to bed and curled up in a ball next to Vin who was still awake.

Josiah would have to have a talk with Chris when he got back and saw the boys.

Chris got back to the house, ready to collapse in bed. Buck was taking a bath which sounded appealing to wash off the stress he had to deal with of late.

"The boys wanted you to say goodnight." Josiah said before Chris made it to his room. "I sort of made a promise so they'd get in bed."

Chris nodded and went to go see his boys. Funny. When did he start thinking of them as his boys?

He opened the door to the room and found Vin sitting up in bed. Crossing the room that used to be Josiah's, he sat on the edge.

"Boys ready to go to sleep?"

"I hurt my arm again." Vin whispered, trying to gain sympathy.

"I'm sorry. How about you tell me in the morning?"

"But—"

"Vin, it's time for bed. Now lay down."

Vin did as he was told and Chris pulled the covers up over him. He bent down and kissed the boy on his forehead and caressed his cheek before turning to Ezra. The boy was really quiet.

"Ezra?" Chris pushed himself off the bed and knelt by it to see the little face. He could hear the boy sniffing.

"Maddie tore up my cards." Ezra said in a shaky voice.

Chris was definitely not ready to deal with that at this hour.

"I'll see if we can do something about it tomorrow. Don't worry, it's going to be okay." Chris said in a whisper before kissing Ezra's forehead and readjusting the covers.

Both boys looked up at him as he stood up to leave and he felt his heart lift a little at the hope he saw in their faces.

Perhaps being a father again wasn't going to be so hard to get used to as he thought it might.

 **A/N: Don't you just love chaos. Poor children. They just need to chill. Anyway, I have horrible news. Because I decided I'm too lazy to get a job, and to stupid that I decided to be a student still and go to college (What the heck was I thinking, but turn up I'm a junior now! What am I even going to do when I graduate?). Long story short. The school semester is getting intense (or I'm just not paying attention and I already haven't done three assignments in the first two weeks. Heck yeah) So I haven't been writing the next chapters in this series. Fear not I am writing, just may take a while, plus I'm writing another story in this fandom and I'm reading some of your guys lovely work. Be patient with me! Love you all and your reviews are awesome!**


	9. Forgive Me When I Disappoint You

Chris gave a long yawn as he went to wake up Vin and Ezra who had slept in. The others were already up, and after setting them up with books, paper and pencils, were beginning school. Josiah was going to be the one in charge of their education while Chris and Buck helped.

Sitting on the side of the bed, Chris looked down at the sleeping boys who were curled up together. They almost looked innocent which made him smile and push their hair out of their faces.

"Time to wake up boys."

Soon, a pair of blue eyes were followed by a pair of green ones as they looked up at him.

Both boys moved a lot slower today.

Once Chris saw to them getting dressed, he led them to the table where breakfast and learning was taking place at the other end.

Vin plopped down in his seat and rested his chin on the table. Ezra clung to his cards which were still messed up.

Chris was hoping he wouldn't have to deal with these issues so early, but he figured the sooner he did it, the boys would regain some of their energy.

"Vin, let me see your arm." Chris said as he knelt down in front of the boy. He had picked up some of the ointment that he was instructed to put on the healing limb from the doctor.

"Ezra, you need to eat your food."

"I'm not all that hungry."

"I still want you to eat something." Chris said as he finished up wrapping Vin's arm again. He kissed the boy on the top of his head and Vin's energy seemed to revive and he ate happily.

He then moved over to Ezra who still shuffled the damaged deck in his hands.

"Want to tell me what happened?" Chris asked.

"Maddie tore up my cards and now I can't use them. They're the only thing I got from my mother." Ezra sounded like he was about to cry again.

Chris considered at the cards. The ones that had been torn were practically ripped in the same area. It was possible to glue them back together again, but then they'd stand out from the others.

He picked up one of the intact cards and tore it in half like the others. Ezra's eyes grew huge before he screamed in horror and began hitting Chris angrily. Chris caught the little arms attacking him and tried to calm the boy down.

"Ezra. Ezra. Ezra. It's alright. It's going to be alright. Watch."

Chris got up and brought back a bottle of glue. He then began to patch up the card he tore and then glued another damaged card. Ezra watched him with a tear streaked face. When Chris was done gluing the torn cards up he handed them to Ezra.

"If you really want to keep these and still use them. We could try tearing and re-gluing them back together so they'd look uniform."

Ezra silently nodded. Chris ran his hand over the boy's head before kissing it and moving to get his own breakfast.

The following days were uneventful for the men and their wards. Chris worked outside to construct another two bed frames with the occasional help of Buck. Wilmington would go into town to work odd jobs at the mercantile. Josiah would stay inside with the younger children and help them with their schooling.

Ezra and Nathan sat outside with Chris who was sanding down the last board of the second bed. Ezra had just finished his page of the book he and Nathan were reading out loud to Chris.

While Nathan read out loud with little effort like the other boy, Ezra played absentmindedly with his newly mended cards.

Buck rode up on his horse and stopped short before getting off.

"You boys doing alright?" he asked as Nathan stopped his reading to look up. Ezra too had stopped what he was doing.

"They seem to have an easy time reading those books you bring." Chris noted as he smiled proudly at the two boys who grinned back up at the men.

"Well I'm finished for today. Do you need help getting the beds inside?" Buck grunted as he stretched a little.

"I'm good. You go ahead and rest. I can have Josiah help me in a little bit."

Buck nodded and went inside after patting both boys on the head as he passed.

The tall man smiled as he watched Vin, Kate and the younger children practice their writing. JD instantly bounded out of his seat and ran to his pa.

Buck swept the boy up and tossed him in the air before catching him again.

Maddie and Kate giggled when he attacked them both with tickles and kisses. Vin, Buck noticed was pouting from his seat at the table.

"What's wrong there junior?"

"I hate school."

"Why do you say that?"

"Cause I ain't good at it. I'm stupid." Vin buried his head in his arms as he rested his head on the table.

Buck sat down next to him and rubbed his back.

"You ain't stupid, Vin. You may be having a harder time then the others but that don't mean nothing."

"JD and Kate already know how to read and write. Nathan and Ezra are already reading hard books. Even Maddie knows the alphabet." Vin muttered.

"You may just have a different way of learning things." Buck reassured.

Josiah came out from the back where he had gone to use the toilet.

"I'm having a hard time finding a method to teach Vin. Maybe you know of something."

Buck nodded and turned to the little boy. Vin was already having more difficulty than the others with his broken arm still healing which was his dominate hand.

"What do you think of when you think of words?"

Vin shrugged. "Sometimes Ezra likes to use big ones and grownups say bad ones."

"But what do you like about them? What makes you happy? A song, a poem, a quote."

"My mother used to sing songs when I was little. Used to sing to me before bed."

"Would you like to make a song?"

Vin thought about it before nodding eagerly.

"Okay then. We'll write one together, but first you need to learn how to write a poem. For that you need to spell the words you want to say."

Vin watched closely as Buck showed him again the alphabet and had Vin sound out each letter. He then had him write words that rhythmed together.

Soon Vin was scratching away at his paper.

Chris came inside with Nathan and Ezra following after him.

"Oh Chris, I forgot to tell you earlier. Heard some news that some judge is coming in town in a couple of days. Might want to stay hidden till he's gone."

Chris nodded and went into the back to wash up and change.

Ezra sat down next to Vin who was working hard on his masterpiece.

"Whatcha working on?" Ezra asked curious. He tried to peer over the boy's hand.

"I'm writing a poem."

"A poem." Ezra laughed, "That's adorable."

Vin sent his brother a glare.

"Well it ain't for you so you don't have to read it."

"Who's it for?"

"Pa."

"Why would he want a poem? That's not very impressive."

Vin's hand with the pencil stilled and he stared down at his work. Ezra wondered if he should apologize. It wasn't his place to say such things. After experiencing countless rejections and verbal rebuke from his mother and step-fathers, he wasn't sure what would be considered worth their approval. Vin probably never felt that kind of rejection. He would probably be better off not letting himself go through rejection.

Vin suddenly balled up his piece of paper and stuck it in his pocket. Buck looked up from where he was talking with the girls and noticed the distress on the boy's face.

"You alright there junior? What happened to our poem?"

"I don't want to do it anymore." Vin muttered.

Ezra felt the guilt wash over him and he fidgeted in his place. "Vin, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"No, you were right. I was stupid for writing one."

"No you aren't."

"Just leave me alone." Vin hissed before slipping out of his seat and running to their room.

Ezra's shoulders slumped as he watched his brother go.

"Why did you say that?" asked Nathan who had been listening.

Ezra looked back at his half sibling.

"It wasn't my intent to hurt him."

"Well your words were pretty hurtful."

"I apologized, didn't I?"

"Yes, but it still don't change the fact that Vin now probably doesn't want anything to do with reading or writing now."

"What am I supposed to do now? He won't listen to me and doesn't want me around."

"Well, have your pa talk to him."

Ezra could feel the dread set on top of him of having to tell on himself. This would probably warrant a punishment. The thought of it made him tremble. None of the children had gotten into any real trouble, except Maddie for ripping up his cards. Josiah had her apologize and then sit and write 'I will not harm my family's belongings' ten times the next day. That was Josiah, but Chris, no one had seen him give a punishment. What if he took a strap to him? Ezra's mind began to fill with the beatings he had received from his step-fathers. As he made his way to Chris's room, he was shaking with fear.

Knocking on the door, he reverted back to cowering and waiting in silence instead of just going inside like Chris had told them they could do.

Chris opened the door and saw Ezra practically shrink in size even more as he bowed his head and seem to curl up.

"Ezra? Is something wrong?"

Ezra didn't lift his head. "I'm sorry."

"For what? What happened?"

"I said something mean to Vin about his writing and balled up his work and ran into the bedroom."

Ezra waited in fear for Chris to yell at him, scream demeaning words, and hit him. None of those things happened.

Chris bent down in front of his scared son, careful not to touch him just yet until he became less tense.

"Did you apologize to Vin?"

Ezra nodded, head still down.

Chris pulled the boy to him and gave him a hug. He could feel the little boy tense up, practically shake in his arms before going slack and accepting the comfort.

"How about we go talk to Vin?"

Ezra nodded against his shoulder and Chris stood back up and took Ezra by the hand and led him down the hall.

Vin was curled up in a ball on the bed facing away from the door.

"Vin. Ezra told me what happened and has said that he is sorry." Chris said as he sat down on the bed and rubbed the boy's back.

Vin curled up into a tighter ball.

"Can you show me what you were working on?"

Vin shook his head.

"I'd love to see it even if you don't think I would."

Vin unfolded himself after another minute and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Chris. Chris took it and pulled the boy to sit next to him. Ezra looked from Chris's other side at the paper.

"I was writing you a poem." Vin murmured.

"Would you like to read it to me?" Chris asked, smiling encouragingly at the boy.

Vin nodded.

"I know not where you've come from

I dare not even try

Cause I know where you'll be now

Every moment when we cry

So thank you for loving each and every one of us

In your hands I will place my trust

Cause you are my pa

And you'll be there to catch me when I fall"

Ezra smiled as he listened to every words.

When he finished Vin stared intently down at his hands.

Chris pulled him in for a hug and kissed him on the top of his head and then did the same to Ezra.

"You are all my children and I love you all so much."

The hug lasted for a few more minutes before Chris finally released them. He suggested that he share the poem with Buck and Josiah and Vin bounced out of the bed to do so.

Ezra soon was the only one in the room with Chris.

"I almost made Vin stop reading and writing." He murmured.

"But you did the right thing and came to me. I think Vin is more encouraged than ever."

Ezra nodded and they went back to join the others.

 **A/N: Sorry for taking so long. I have news though. (Good or bad, depends on how you see it). The story is almost over! Yay. Well I think there will be another, but this story was just focusing on the hurt and comfort and rough beginnings like in a marriage and stuff. The sequel will be about Chris's history coming back to destroy his new family. Well, have a great day! Love you all!**


	10. And Never Let Me Go

It was a lazy morning where Josiah and Buck had gone out to buy mattresses to fi the beds that Chris had finished making. The blonde had to stay behind to watch the children as well as because of the news of the judge arriving in Four Corners. Another reason Buck and Josiah decided to ride out to another town to find what they were looking for.

Chris was finishing up cleaning the dishes when he heard riders coming in. He looked up and out the window to see five strange men on horses right outside. Drying off his hands quickly, Chris ran into his room and returned with his gun and belt. He slung it over his shoulder before turning to the children who had noticed something was wrong.

"I want you all to go into your room and lock the door behind you. Don't open it unless you hear my voice. You understand?" He received six nods. "Go."

The children all ran to follow the order. JD and Maddie seemed ready to cry which wouldn't help it if they were to remain hidden.

Stepping outside the house, he looked over the men who were on his property.

"You're on private property." He growled.

"You Chris Larabee?" asked one of the men.

Chris could feel his heavy twitch, ready to pull his gun, "I am."

"Judge request your presence in town."

"Well you're going to have to tell him no because I ain't leaving." Chris said with a smile.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Chris heard screams from inside the house and he spun around.

"No." he breathed.

He ran inside and found that two men were pulling the children through the door.

Hell if this was the judge. It must be Ella! Chris growled as he stormed over to take on the man who was trying to pull JD back to his feet. He saw one of the men holding Ezra who looked like he was having a panic attack.

Before he reached them he felt a blow to the back of his head and everything went black.

Chris woke up to the sound of the children crying and calling out for him. He opened his eyes and found that he was outside now. The children had all bee corralled into the wagon with four men to make sure none of them gave them the slip. Chris was thrown up on a horse and had his hands tied to the saddle. His sides were hurting from probably kicks and punches dealt to him after he was out.

"Papa!" Vin cried out.

"Everything is going to be okay kids." He called out to them. He was hoping his voice would calm them down.

They were taken back to Four Corners where townspeople who had known about Chris and his men taking in the six orphans looked in shock as the man was pulled roughly off the horse. The children were taken out of the wagon and the men struggled to keep them away from the blonde. Vin managed to slip around them and one of the men grabbed Vin by his right arm which was still pretty sore.

Vin screamed in pain and began to cry. Some of the others had already been crying. Chris, though sore and a little disoriented from his fall and head wound, was alert now. He did a running charge and slammed into the man how was hurting Vin. The man released his grip on the boy. For a minute. Chris was surrounded by the six children trying to seek refuge near him. His aching bruises were pressed upon by desperate hands trying to cling onto him for safety. Chris bit back the pain and began to check over all of his children.

"Get back here boy." Growled one of the men. Chris felt himself ripped from his children and he immediately began to fight against the hold the man had on him. He only had his feet as weapons and began delivering hard blows to the man's knees and shins.

"Enough!" called an older man's voice as Chris was smacked sideways and onto the ground.

An older man came into Chris's view and held out a hand to help Larabee up.

"My apologies for these men's blatant disregard to my orders. I asked them to have you brought in. It seems they took liberties. They will be punished. For now though, I can't have you try and run so I'm afraid you'll have to rest in a cell."

Chris glared at the man as two men grabbed him and escorted him to the jail.

Mary ran to her father-in-law once Chris disappeared inside the jail.

"Orrin? What are you doing with Mr. Larabee? I thought when I telegrammed you that you said you wouldn't separate the men from the children without reason."

"And I won't. However, I need Mr. Larabee here in my area. Not his. I haven't forgotten what you said he and his friends are doing for these children, but that doesn't mean that the government will accept them as anything but kidnappers. Larabee has killed people, and some report; an angry drunk. Sanchez has also been reported an angry drunk and Wilmington is always trying to find his way into some woman's bed. This also has to be taken into consideration."

Chris sat in his cell not all that comfortable. His sides were protesting to any position he tried to lay in. Eventually he was able to lay down on his stomach on the cot and tried to rest his eyes.

He needed a plan to get out of here. He had to find out where they had taken the children.

The abusive men probably were scaring the living daylights out of Kate, Maddie and Ezra who apparently all came from homes with abusive father figures. Nathan was witnessing abuse which was probably something he had seen before but probably resurfaced horrible memories too. JD and Vin he wasn't sure about, but Vin getting hurt didn't make things better and any separation for JD was traumatic.

Chris let out a sigh. He shouldn't have let Buck and Josiah go. What was he thinking? Now he had no idea where the children were or what was happening to them.

"Pa." came a whisper and Chris opened his eyes to see Vin and the others outside of his cell.

Chris sat up, which earned him a shooting pain before he pushed that thought away to concentrate on the children.

"What are you all doing here?" he asked. Chris figured that they probably had escaped from whatever room they were supposed to be in.

"We're here to get you and get back home." JD said with bouncing enthusiasm which probably hid his agitation. "Ezra was able to steal the keys off those men."

Ezra held up the said keys.

"No." Chris said as the oldest boy went to open the door.

Six pairs of eyes looked up at him in confusion.

"But why?" asked Vin and Kate at the same time.

"It's a felony to aid a criminal and release them and I don't want that for you. I want you to get yourselves over to Mr. Potter at the general store. Go on."

Vin bit his lip and looked ready to cry as Nathan pulled him towards the door.

Chris waited for Ezra to leave but the boy stayed in his spot.

"Ezra, you need to leave."

"Not without you." The boy gripped the key ring tighter till his knuckles went white, "I can't lose anyone else in my life. I just— I just can't."

"You aren't going to lose me. Now go."

Ezra looked like he was about to start crying, but he nodded and ran out of the jail after throwing the keys on the desk.

"You lost the children." Orrin said in surprise as he looked at the incompetent men who stood in front of the desk he sat behind. "Well they won't go anywhere without Larabee if what Mary says is true. Look for them in the jail."

"Sir." Came another hired helps voice as they entered the room. "The keys to the jail have gone missing."

"Can any of you men do a simple job without screwing it up." Orrin growled as he stood up and began making his way over to the jail himself. He brought his sawed off coach gun with him. If Larabee was pissing angry and seeking revenge, then it was best not to go completely unarmed.

To his surprise, Travis found the blonde still sitting in the cell. He noted the keys lying on the desk.

"I apologize for the children's light touch." Chris said with a smile.

Travis set his gun down and pulled up a chair near the bars.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me where they're at now?"

"Depends on you judge."

"Me?"

"The children have expressed their fears of being taken away."

"Well I only want to see that they are taken care of and that the people who are in charge of them are seeing that that gets done."

"They're safe. I told them to go to the Potter's store."

Orrin nodded.

"Mr. Larabee, I'm aware of you and your men. Your track record is a little colorful then many parents seeking to adopt a child. Why should I let you continue to take care of these children?"

Chris thought about it for a minute. "Any sane individual probably wouldn't. However, when Vin, Ezra and JD approached my friends and I, they saw us for who we were. Imperfect and rough. Yet they still wanted us to take care of them. I think my friends and I need them as much as they need us. I've never seen Buck this happy in years. Josiah has been searching for a purpose and I think in a way I was too. We take our roles as fathers seriously. Baths, meals, education, and chores. However, each of these children are coming from broken homes and have lost loved ones. Sometimes they just need us to stay up with them and hold them while they cry or comfort them when they had nightmares. I know what it's like to be a father, and I know what it's like to lose someone. These children have already lost so much, judge, wouldn't you agree?"

Travis smiled.

"You make a fine point."

Mrs. Potter tried to entertain the six worried children who had sought refuge in the shop. To have seen the way those men had dragged and beat the children's daddy like that in front of them was just horrible. After seeing and hearing the hard work these men were putting in to take care of their charges warmed her heart. Having Mr. Wilmington help around the shop also allowed time for her to see her husband at home more often which was nice. Plus, she saw an increase of female customers which didn't hurt things. Josiah had set up an area where he preached sermons on Sunday mornings with the children dutifully sitting with the other two men. Chris, though icy at first, was pretty warm and gentle when it came to his care for the sons who looked up to him. If the judge would try and separate the children from their fathers then she knew that her and several others would stand up for them.

For now, she would help them out by watching the children.

"This is my proposal Mr. Larabee. Sanctuary for you, your men and the children. In return, I will want you all to help maintain order in town. There will be others. Not the idiots from before, but others in your predicament."

"What do you mean by sanctuary?"

"I've heard about your previous family and how they were killed in a fire. No publication will be made of your new situation. Your life shall be kept private within the town."

Chris let the offer roll around in his head.

"I'll be willing to pay."

"How much?"

"Four dollars a day you work."

Travis watched as the man calculated the numbers in his head. "I'm having a feeling I'm going to regret this."

Mary looked up in relief when she saw Larabee exit the jail with her father-in-law. The two headed to the Potter's store where she figured Mrs. Potter was secretly watching the children. Hopefully things had gone well.

Mrs. Potter looked up when she saw Chris and she smiled. She heard the children all get up and watched as they all ran to him and threw themselves at him. Chris checked Vin over first and then the rest, making sure they were all fine. Some of the children were especially clingy, Not letting go of his jacket as he stood, with a probably sore body, with Maddie and JD on a hip each.

"Are we going home?" Vin asked worriedly.

"Yes we are." Chris smiled.

Kate sighed with relief and Nathan couldn't stop grinning. There were tears in Ezra's eyes, probably relieved as well from knowing he wasn't about to lose Chris.

They walked out of the store. A family reunited. She prayed that the big family wouldn't be seeing any trouble in the foreseeable future.

 **A/N: And done! Yay the end (cheering). There will be a sequel to this, but later. I have an engagement with two other stories that need another chapter and story sequel. Love the comments and love you've been sending my way! Till the next one.**


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